Risky actions taken by end users worldwide 2024

A 2024 survey of end users and IT professionals worldwide revealed that around three in 10 respondents used their work device for personal activities. Other common risky actions taken by end users included reusing or sharing passwords, or connecting without using a VPN at a public place, each highlighted by 26 percent of respondents.

Most common risky end-user behavior and attitudes worldwide in 2024

Characteristic	Share of respondents
Use work device for personal activities	29%
Reuse or share password	26%
Connect without using VPN at a public place	26%
Respond to a message (email or SMS text) from someone I don’t know	24%
Access inappropriate website	20%
Click on links or download attachments from someone I don’t know	19%
Share work device with friends or family	16%
Call an unfamiliar phone number in an urgent email	13%
Tailgating: allow others to enter the office without badging in	11%
Upload sensitive data to unproven third-party cloud	10%
Give credentials to untrustworthy source	9%
Have never taken a risky action	29%

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Release date

March 2024

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2024

Number of respondents

7,500 respondents

Supplementary notes

Data is based on a survey of 7,500 end users and 1,050 IT security professionals across 15 countries worldwide. Moreover, the source examined 183 million simulated phishing messages sent by its customers and over 24 million user-reported emails to uncover user vulnerability, behavior change, and risk.

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